Marketers are shifting from experimentation to implementation with connected TV (CTV), artificial intelligence (AI), and identity strategies emerging as central areas of investment, according to the Mediaocean 2025 H2 Market Report.
The global survey claims by the platform for omnichannel advertising provided an overview of the most pressing key trends shaping advertising in the second half of the year.
It revealed that marketer are leaning into personalisation, performance, and connected systems to fuel cross-channel, full-funnel strategies.
CTV remains a leading channel for planned budget growth, with 58% of marketers intending to increase spending in H2.
The report noted that As CTV matures, marketers’ focus is no longer just on reach, but also on precision and performance. Personalisation was the top driver of CTV effectiveness, while cross-platform frequency management and measurement were noted as persistent challenges.
Creative versioning, cross-platform optimisation, and identity-informed targeting are now considered essential to unlocking CTV’s full-funnel value.
Generative AI stays at the top consumer trend for the second consecutive reporting period, with 72% of marketers prioritising its use, up 15% from H1. Marketers are moving past experimentation and using AI across the ad lifecycle, from creative production, copywriting, media planning, data analysis, and campaign optimisation.
Identity and demand generation grew as strategic priorities, rising 41% and 33% as strategic priorities. Marketers are adopting multi-ID strategies that combine first-party data, partner IDs, and other signals to maintain audience continuity across channels as third-party cookies decline.
Cultural and political sensitivity has seen an 82% increase as a priority since H1. As political and advocacy issues increasingly intersect with brand communications, marketers are rethinking messaging and positioning with more nuance, using AI-powered creative tools to adapt in real-time and speak authentically across diverse audiences and contexts.
Michael Serratore: ‘Creative is gaining recognition as a pivotal driver in campaign performance, driving demand for the ability to effectively activate and measure creative strategies with a central source of truth.’
Michael Serratore VP, Client Success at Innovid, said: “While the uniqueness of the Australian market can often buck global data trends, it’s telling that the findings from Mediaocean’s 2025 H2 Market Report actually validate what Australian advertisers and agencies have been experiencing here locally with the acceleration of CTV growth.
“Signs point to continued investment uplift in the channel, but measurement inconsistency and fragmentation remain some of the industry’s biggest challenges.
He added: “The correlation between our global market report and the IAB Australia’s recent surveys reinforces that fragmentation is a universal barrier holding back CTV’s full potential and shows personalisation as one of the biggest untapped opportunities for driving full-funnel performance.
“This aligns with the broader sentiment shift we’re seeing in Australia where creative is gaining recognition as a pivotal driver in campaign performance, driving demand for the ability to effectively activate and measure creative strategies with a central source of truth.”
Karsten Weide, Principal & Chief Analyst, W Media Research, said: “Marketers are meeting change with a blend of resilience and reinvention.”
“As legacy IDs fade and AI transforms every corner of the ad tech stack, brands are building smarter, more flexible systems—rooted in identity, demand generation, and the measurable performance of channels like CTV.
“This report shows that the future isn’t something marketers are waiting for, it’s something they’re actively engineering.”
Aaron Goldman, CMO, Mediaocean, said: “When it comes to omnichannel advertising, we’re seeing a transition from experimentation to expectation.”
“Marketers are no longer testing AI, CTV, or multi-ID strategies—they’re building with them.
“The second half of 2025 will be defined by how well brands align their technology, data, and creative to deliver connected, outcomes-driven experiences.”
The 2025 H2 Market Report is the eighth installment in Mediaocean’s bi-annual research series, bringing together more than 5,500 perspectives from agencies, brands, publishers, and platforms over the past four years.
The live webinar, The Mediaocean Current: 2025 H2 Market Research, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, will feature takeaways from Mediaocean and speakers, including Weide, IAB’s Angelina Eng, and Lafayette Media Group’s Jon Lafayette.